Minister Blaney Announces Strengthened Partnership With Canadian Internet Registration Authority to Further Secure Canadian Websites

Minister Blaney delivers a keynote address at SecureTech 2014

OTTAWA, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - Nov. 4, 2014) - Public Safety Canada

Today, the Honourable Steven Blaney, Canada's Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, gave a keynote address at SecureTech 2014, a conference featuring experts from the defense and security domain. Minister Blaney took this opportunity to announce a strengthened partnership between the Canadian Cyber Incident Response Centre (CCIRC), Canada's computer security incident response team, and the Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA), the not-for-profit organization that manages Canada's .ca domain name registry.

This collaboration allows CCIRC to efficiently work with CIRA to alert domain holders of malicious activity that may be taking place without their knowledge. CIRA has provided CCIRC with the ability to notify .ca domain holders when a website within that domain may have unknowingly fallen victim to attack, while maintaining the privacy of individual.ca domain holders.

CCIRC is Canada's national coordination centre for the prevention of and response to cyber events. It does this by providing authoritative advice and support, and coordinating information sharing and event response.

CIRA is a member-driven organization that develops and implements policies that support Canada's Internet community, and represents the .ca registry internationally. Responsible for the .ca domain, CIRA plays a critical role in ensuring that key parts of Canada's Internet infrastructure remain safe, secure and continuously available.

Quick Facts

• Many common online threats can affect a website without its owner's knowledge. Malicious hackers can take control of a website and infect the site with software or applications that could harm visitors and steal their personal information. A user's domain could also be used by spammers to deliver bulk messages without their consent or knowledge.

• In 2012, 9,084 incidents of cybercrime were reported by Canadian police services(1).

• CIRA has registered more than 2.2 million .ca domain names, making it one of the fastest growing domains in the world.

(1)

Police-reported cybercrime in Canada, 2012, Statistics Canada, 2014

Quotes

"By enhancing and strengthening the effective partnership between the Canadian Cyber Incident Response Centre and the Canadian Internet Registration Authority, our Government continues to protect the safety and security of Canada's vital cyber systems."

- The Honourable Steven Blaney, Canada's Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness

"We pride ourselves on the stability, security and reliability of the .ca domain. This partnership with the Canadian Cyber Incident Response Centre will help our domain holders to stay one step ahead of malicious online attacks. When transacting online, whether to conduct business, engage in social debate and dialogue or access government services, it is important that Canadians are confident that every effort is being made to keep them safe."

- Byron Holland, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Canadian Internet Registration Authority